See where I found myself this time :)

It has been crazily busy of late, with me getting adjusted to a new place and hunting for an apartment. So today, just as I was wishing for some pleasant news, my Seattle bride sent me a photo of her bridal bouquet to savor :). I shall write more on that in a later post.
But here's what I want to share with you today. I was getting bombarded on my Blackberry with ETSY convos. I couldn't figure out why! It had never happened to me before.... So, I asked some of the ladies who wrote to me, where they found me. Their unanimous answer,"ETSY finds - Weddings"... WOW! I have waited for this so long. Its been great to have been featured on ETSY finds.... I can't stop jumping with joy... LOL!

Its been a crazy crazy time :) and wedding order teaser

We are moving.... for all those who don't know, Sarang and I have already moved out of Hawaii and into Arizona. I'll talk about the next part of our move later.... but suffice to know its been a crazy time for us. We decided that we needed to move immediately - in like 10 days! Not only did we have to pack and wrap up things in Honolulu, I also needed to finish a HUGE wedding order. I also wanted to finish as much as possible of the 10 centerpieces I am doing for our friends' wedding.

In between, I have also tried to squeeze in samples, hair combs, single gardenia hair pieces and cake toppers! I wish I could photograph them all.... but I really could not. But here are a few pictures of the Seattle wedding that I did bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres for.
The Hydrangea bouquet is for the Maid of Honor. The hydrangea has light green centers. This was suggested by my dear friend and fellow DECO Clay Instructor and fanatic :) - Chenli. Thank you Chenli.... your suggestion made a world of difference. Its always awesome to connect with DECO instructors like you.... its an absolute honor!

Along with the above two bouquets, there were another 6.... I have a flight to catch, so I shall run now and post the remaining pictures as soon as possible.... Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures and let me know what you think.
I have to make a special mention of the bride here. Without her, these arrangements wouldn't have looked so spectacular. She had the vision of going the non-traditional way. Instead of having a white bouquet herself, she preferred to have her bridesmaids and MOH have white bouquets - each will hold a bouquet different kind of bouquet. The MOH as I mentioned earlier, will hold the hydrangea, another bridesmaid will hold a Peony bouquet, another a Gerbera Daisy bouquet, and so on...... It was very exciting to work on! Rarely do you have the chance to work on something like this. The bride herself opted for a summer-fall happy combination of colors and flowers. Her bouquet has Dahlias, Ranunculus (this is a new technique that we learnt at the DECO Clay Craft Academy and looks very real, I think, unlike the one that looked pretty, but looked like a ball! Thank you Yukiko!), two kinds of orchids, Callas, Freesias and Poppies. Most of the hues are orange-y, but the smaller orchids and bright yellow freesias give it a more cheery splash of yellow. I have also inserted very little green, so it actually works as a highlight and not as a filler.
I think this post is getting a little disjointed :) and that's because I have so much to do in so little time. But this post is for all those who have been waiting to read and see what I have recently done :). So many people have written in specially to ask why I haven't posted and everytime I speak to my friends (again, very talented fellow DECO Clay instructors) - Betty and Cherrie - they tell me that they want to see pictures :). I hope these pictures make you happy :). Please excuse me for the bad quality of the photos.... these were just hurriedly taken shots :(.

Okay, bye now.... see ya soon....
PS: My Seattle bride is getting married TODAY :). Please wish her a very happy wedded life.....

Finished another Wedding Order :)

Everytime I complete a Wedding Order, there is a relief of having finished things well and on time. But more than that, there is an excitement of what the bride will say once she sees the flowers herself :). Seeing them in photos is one thing. Seeing them in reality is quite another :). And I always wait eagerly for their comments....every little word of appreciation gives me a BIG (no... HUGE) smile :).Anyway... these flowers are for the bride that I made the Pink Peony and Rose Bouquet that I had blogged about earlier. Once she received the Bridal Bouquet, she ordered two bridesmaids' bouquets, 3 Bouts and a Peony Hair Flower.The Bridesmaids' Flowers match with the Bridal Bouquet, but they don't have the peonies. They have roses in different hues of pink, along with pearl-studded stephanotis flowers. Also, I haven't added any green to these bouquets. Even the wrap is a little different from the bridal bouquet. Despite all these differences, these two bouquets tie in beautifully with the Bridal Bouquet.
I always wanted to do a 'PINK' wedding and this bride of mine made my wish come true :). Not just that, she also referred a friend to me :). So, now, I'll probably be doing her flowers as well. I am excited and absolutely grateful for every little business that comes my way. Thank you very much for supporting and encouraging me!! It means the world to me :). Thank You!

Wedding Links on my blog

I have decided to give a mention to wedding vendors/bloggers that I have loved interacting/working with, on my blog. Please send in your entries, to me at keepsakeblossoms@gmail.com

Please let me know what your areas of interest are. If you have a website and/or blog, please let me know and I shall take a look before I make my final decision. Only 5 entries will be picked for mention at this time. I shall then get in touch with you personally for more details.

Some glorious photos!

Way back in January, when I was really really sick, I made a Haku Lei. I had blogged about it then. But I hadn't been able to take good pictures because I was feeling weak. The haku, if you remember for a child's Holy Communion. My client, the child's mother, sent me back these pictures. I love how the haku looks, but I couldn't take my eyes off the child. She looks angelic. Such a pretty girl!
The haku hasn't been worn the traditional Hawaiian way (across the forehead), but I'd say it looks no less pretty, thanks to the sweet child and my friend and senior colleague - Chenli. Without Chenli's help, I couldn't have finished this lei. Here's the feedback I received from my client: "Deb...I received the Haku Lei today and I am stunned by how beautiful it is. The work is amazing...Literally breathtaking ! You are incredibly talented and caring person. I will treasure forever... ". Chenli, this is for you too!


This haku lei has more than a 150 flowers and also some great fillers. These special fillers, that I always buy from the DECO Clay Craft Academy are flown in all the way from Japan. In my job, if the fillers aren't good, they can spoil the entire effort. So, I have to make sure that I get the very best. These fillers are pretty expensive, but quite worth their price. I haven't found better fillers anywhere else and I always prefer buying my fillers from the academy because they look so real!

The second set of photos is from another client of mine, Amanda. Amanda is a wedding photographer. You can check out her stupendous work here at Amanda Fales Photography. She also writes a blog pretty regularly.
Like I had written yesterday, one area that definitely needs improvement is my photography :). So, in stepped Amanda to photograph my gardenia hair flower. Not just that, she also modelled it, so it looks doubly gorgeous! I love the sepia effect (?).
The wafer thin petals of the gardenia can be very tricky to photograph. Neither me nor Sarang had been successful in clicking a photo that we were really happy with. But now, we are very happy. And also, quite relieved :). Thanks Amanda!
Okay, so that was a pretty long post. But I do hope you enjoyed reading it..... and I hope you loved the photos. Do let me know, so I can strive to be better.

A New Comb

Sorry for venting out yesterday. I have now removed that post.... If its there, I might keep looking at it and feel sad again. But THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. It is kind of hard for me to take a break right now.... but I promise to do that very soon.... and yes, I don't think I am going to give up. Like so many of you wrote to me yesterday, the best part of my job is to be part of the most special day for a woman and to make her happy. It is really a blessing to be able to make people happy in this way..... and I don't think I should give up. Thank you! Yesterday was so terrible for me and I am so grateful that I had so many people stand by me. Though I have removed yesterday's post, I have all your comments with me and shall keep looking at them whenever I need words of encouragement. Thank you very much!
Back to work now :).
A few weeks back, a client of mine came to me with a custom order. There was this special kind of orchid that she liked. She wanted me to replicate it for her and make a hairpiece .... one of my combs :). Going by the popularity of my combs, I think I should make more of those, in different designs, colors and using different flowers.
So here's what it looked like -
And here's what my customer had to say about this comb:"Deb,
I love the comb, it's exactly what I wanted. Can't wait to wear it on the big day. The pictures don't do it justice, you are truly gifted.
Thanks for the sweet note and for working with me on this custom piece."
Isn't that wonderful? One thing I am still lagging in, is photographs.... How do I take good photographs? :( I wish I could do a course somewhere! In my next post, I shall be writing about a photographer client of mine who sent me photos of my gardenia flower and shows it in an entirely different light :). I never knew that my gardenia could look so beautiful :).

Book Review - Bouquet Chic by Kimberly Aurora Kapur

Ever since I started my business, I began picking up wedding flower books every time I could afford to. They give me inspiration to create new things and allow me to give my clients more ideas to consider. Also, when my clients are in doubt, I show them pictures and ask them to shortlist, so I can read their minds and create their dream bouquet for their dream wedding.

Of all the books that I have bought in the past one year, one of the most influential has been Kimberly Aurora Kapur's 'Bouquet Chic'. A bridal bouquet is a bride's personal style statement. As a florist, if you get the bridal bouquet right, everything else just falls into place. It is here that this book comes in very handy. Kimberly not just talks about the significance of colors in a wedding and how they tie in with the persona of the bride, but also provides several examples of different styles like 'Vintage', 'Classic', 'Glam'. Reading through the book and looking at the accompanying pictures, makes it easy for the reader to associate with what the author is explaining. There are more than a hundred and fifty lovely designs and that is a lot of choice!

Another cool thing about this book is that there are a number of cute wraps shown. Kimberly also shows us HOW to actually do those wraps.

This one's a great reference book for floral designers and also DIY brides. So, do remember to take a look. Its available in a lot of public libraries around the country. And if you want a copy for yourself, its available at all the bookstores and also online. Trust me (and you know you can), it is a great asset to have!
Keep checking this space. I shall be writing more about this talented floral designer soon....